Grapple



July 17, 1951 c. M. HEARN GRAPPLE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 23, 1946 INVENTOR.

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C. M. HEARN July 17, 1951 GRAPPLE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 23, 1946 Patented July 17, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

The present invention relates to a novel grapple for hoisting and automatically releasing bales of material, such as cotton or the like.

An object of the invention is to provide a grappleadapted to traverse a horizontal track, pick up bales of cotton at one point along the track and then automatically release the bales at any desired place farther along the track.

Another object is to provide novel pivoted spike members adapted to bite into the bale material, until they are released by a novel trip arrangement carried by the top of the grapple, whereby upon actuation of the trip, the weight of the bale pivots the spikes out of the bale material and permits the bale to drop.

A further object is to provide a simple and practical labor-saving arrangement for moving heavy bales from one place to another, such as from truck to warehouse.

Inthe practice of my invention, I may use a system as illustrated in the accompanying drawing. It is to be understood, however, that the scope of this invention shall be determined by reference to the following specification and claims, and not to the specific structure in the drawing.

In the drawing: a

Figure 1 is a general perspective view of the invention in use.

Figure 2 illustrates the automatic release linkage ior the bale spikes and the release lever for actuating the linkage, the parts being in separated relation as when a bale is released. or is ready to be picked up.

Figure 3 is a view in side elevation of the automatic release linkage, similar to Figure 2 but showing the parts coupled together as when the bale spikes are in closed relation.

Referring in detail to the drawing, my grapple comprises a supporting hook Ill engaged over a trolley I l. The trolley I I has guide rollers l4 and [5 that roll along a track IS.

The hook ii! comprises a shank l8 telescopie cally mounted within a tubular member 25 provided with an elongated fin or flange 2| with an intermediate cut out portion 23 and at its lower end is mounted a coupler bracket 22, which also carries the lower section of a housing, hereinaiter described.

The coupler bracket 22 comprises two pairs of apertured spaced parallel ears 24 and 25, which project from each side of the tubular member 20. Extending through each pair of ears 24 and 25 is a pivot pin 26, see Figure 1; and mounted to pivot thereon are the upper ends 28 and 29 of main grapple jaws 3| and 3 2.

' The grapple jaws are of bowed frame construction and diverge outwardly toward their free ends to provide for the best engagement possible with a cotton bale 35. Each jaw frame comprises side bars 36 and 3'! with a brace member 38 riveted between the bars to provide rigidity for heavy loads. Transversely of the free ends of the side bars and 31 is a pivot rod 39 on which pivots the novel prongs or spikes 40 and ii. These spikes have aligned openings through which the pivot rod 39 extends and have integrally formed therewith a relatively large shield member which is pivotally connected to the lower ends of arcuate shaped levers 46 and 48. These levers control the spike members 4i! and 4| as hereinafter explained.

Around the tubular member 20 is slidably mounted a tubular sleeve 56 forming a part of the upper section 52 of a housing 5|. This tubular sleeve 59 is slotted longitudinally to receive the fin 2! on tubular member 20, so that the longitudinal edge of the fin 2| is engaged by a roller 54 on the end of an L-shaped trip lever 55, until the roller drops into latching position within the cut out part 23.

The lever 55 is pivoted between the walls or upper section 52 on a pin 56 extending through an opening at the top of its longer leg, while to the bottom of the longer leg of the L one link 58 of a toggle is pivoted on a pin 60'. The other link 59 of the toggle is pivoted to the end of link 58 by pin SI; and also it is pivoted on a pin 62 mounted between the walls of the lower part of upper housing section 52.

This housing 5| comprises two separable sections, the upper section 52 and a lower section 65, which carries a, main trip lever 66 pivoted on. a transverse pin 67 extending between .and through the walls of the lower housing section 65. A coiled spring 69 normally holds the lever 66 erect, which spring is connected to the housing at one end and to the lever 66 'at the other end. Cooperating with the spring 69 to limit the position of the lever 66 are two elements; namely a trip arm 16 having a rounded end and top surface adapted to engage under the toggle at its floating mid-pivot 6|, and a transverse stop rod 12 against which the arm IE1 is normally biased by the spring; and the main trip lever 66 thus is held erect, until moved clockwise against the action of the spring by a hook trip 15 on the track It to thereby retract the rollei 54 from the cut-out portion 23 of the fin 2|.

The upper housing section 52 has a, coupler bracket 53 integrally formed from the lower end of the tubular portion 50 with two pairs of apertured ears, such as Ti and 18 extending from it in alignment above the ears of the lower similar coupling bracket 22 carried by the tubular member 20.

Mounted between these pairs of ears on each side is a pin 19 to which the other end of one of the arcuate levers M3 and 4B, is pivoted. Thus when the main lever 66 is pivoted in a clockwise direction by engagement with the hook trip l5, mounted on the track it, the trip arm I rocks upwardly and breaks the toggle, to thereby release the roller 54 from the cut-out portion 23 in fin 2 I. Promptly that this occurs the weight of :the bale 35 will pivot the spikes do and A! on the rods 39, which thus are drawn out of the bale and permit it to drop from between the grapple jaws 3| and 32. In operation the hook I9 is placed over the trolley II, and the shank it of the hook it) may be provided with a pulley ii in a bracket 82. Around the pulley is a cable 83 connected to a lug at extending from one side of the coupling bracket 22, so that if the housing sections are separated, as shown in Figure 2, then they .may be pulled-together to their latched position and the grapple-jaws will close around the bale to be {hoistedwhile simultaneously the spikes or prongs 49 eand' ii are pivoted into the bale material.

When the housing sections are in separated re- .lation as shown, the toggle is broken or, in other wordsythe arms 58 and 59 are angularly related "so that the lever sfi'is swung outwardly away from the tubular member 28 against the tension of a 125 the :lever 55 over to enter the roller 5t into the 5 cut-out portion of the fin and straighten out the toggle arms 5=8-59. At the same time the action of the spring 55' will force the joint 6| of the togglelagainst the trip arm Hi to assist the spring t9 in returning the trip lever Gt to its upright position as is shown :in Figure 1. Since the lever 55 and toggle mechanism is carried by the upper housing portion 52 which in turn forms a part of the sleeve 5i? and'then notched fin 2! is carried by the tubular member 2i} it will be seen that-the engagement of the roller 54 in the cut- :out :23 of the fin-will lock the two housing-portions 52 andtfi together until such time as the trip lever 66 is thrown over.

After the bale has been-gripped in the manner stated, the trolley 11 is run along the track 15,:with the grapple and the bale, to an unloadiing'zpoint .where the trip hook 15 comes into play to release the sections of the housing one from "the other so that the grapple will open and release the bale.

At the unloading position the trip 'hook 15 is suspended from the track l6 and, as shown, is pivoted so that it may be swung out of the way when the grapple is returned for another load.

When the trip lever 66 engages the trip hook "15 the lever t8 will be rocked over in a clockwisedirection, thereby swinging the trip arm I!) upwardly against the joint or pivot coupling 5! between the toggle arms 58 and 59 thereby breaking the toggle and efiecting the outward swinging of :the lever "to disengage the roller from the cut-out 23 of the fin 2!. Thus the locking connection between the tubular member 2!] and the sleeve 59 is broken and the two sections of 7 the housing may separate to the positions shown in Figure "Relative movement of the tubular member 21 the sleeve 58 and the hook shank 18 effects the outward swinging movement of the lower ends of the :main jaw-s 3i and 32 With a resulting outward swinging of the lower ends of the levers 16 and $3. This causes outward swinging of the plates or shield members 44 on the pivots 38 to extract the prongs 6i! and H from the bale.

Although only one embodiment of the invention has been described, it is to be understood that the same is not limited thereto. Various changes may be made in the design and arrangement of the parts illustrated, as will now be apparent to those skilled in the art. For a definition of the scope of the invention reference should be had to the appended. claims.

'Accessto the trip mechanism within the housing 5! may be had by providing at least one removable wall section.

'I-claim:

l. A grapple for baled 'materia'l-comprising a suspension hook having a shank, a pair of piv- .oted members shaped to encompass abale'car ried by the said shank pivoted prongs carried 'by' ea'ch end-of the members, means adapted to turn Said pivoted prongs into engagement "with the material of the bale, means for locking 'said first-named means and said prongs in en gement with the bale, a pivoted trip lever, and means actuated by and uponpivotal movement of the trip lever to unlock said second-named means-whereby the weight of said bale 'servesto pivot said prongs out of engagement'with said bale to permit the bale to drop frombetweenithe saidpivoted members.

2. A grapple for baled material comprising 'a hook at the top having a shank, a pair of pivoted members shaped to encompass a bale carried by the said shank, pivoted prongs carried by each end of the members, means adapted to turn said pivoted prongs into engagement with the material of the bale, said means comprising plates, arcuate levers pivoted to the plates at one end, said plates carrying the said prongs, "a sectional housing movable on said shank, said housing having an upper section to which the other end of said arcuate levers are pivoted Land 3 a lower section to which the said pair .of members are pivoted, latch members carried by each housing section adapted to engage when the :sections are together, and a trip lever adapted to be turned to release the latch members so the housing sections can separate and thereby free the arcuate arms and plates andpermit retraction of the pivotedprongs by the weight of the bale.

3. The device asldescribed in claim 2, wherein the latch members comprising, in combination, an .Lshaped lever carrying a roller, 'togglelirikage pivoted to the apex of the'lever carried by the upper section of the housing, and a triparm in the lower housing section, a lever external of the housing, and a tubular portion having a .fin projecting into the side of the upper housing with a cut-out portion "for engagement with the said roller.

CARL M. HEARN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in -'the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name .Date

243,682 Beardsley July 5, 1.88 761,875 Clark June 7, 378,797 Harding et al.. Feb. 11, 1908 

